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Messaging on the DoublePlay depends almost entirely on whether you prefer a split keyboard. Some computer users swear by them and can type faster when they have one section of the keyboard for each hand.

The DoublePlay is split in such a way that the 2-inch screen is located between the QWERTY keys. It feels a little weird, and initially our typing speed seemed to suffer a bit from the strange finger spacing. As with many physical keyboards, there's a learning curve, but eventually our typing speed actually improved.

If physical keyboards aren't your thing (and you somehow still end up with this phone) you can slip the keyboard closed and type using software keyboard, which we found were preferable to several higher quality phones (we're looking at you, Motorola Atrix 2).

The phone does use haptics for the soft keyboard, which is a plus for those who find the slight buzz sensation to be helpful. (On phones like the Atrix 2, the buzzing is a bit too pronounced.) We found typing on the DoublePlay software keyboard to be fluid and fast for most texting and e-mail chores.

LG includes the Bobsled group texting app which is works exactly like GroupMe. You can add contacts to a group, and then send group texts and store them in the cloud. Like GroupMe, you can load the Bobsled app on your tablet or even on a different phone to see your group texts elsewhere.

Messaging on the dual-screen DoublePlay does provide a good paradigm shift, though. You can load up the messaging app, type a Facebook status update, or even browse photos and music lists on the second screen while you browse the Web on the primary screen.

This helps in a rather select group of instances, but when it does, it almost validates the phone entirely.

Say you want to let someone know about an upcoming event or schedule change. You can look up what you need to know on the main screen with the browser, and then type in the message on the second screen, all without switching between apps.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

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John Brandon (Twitter, Google+) has covered gadgets and cars for the past 12 years having published over 12,000 articles and tested nearly 8,000 products. He's nothing if not prolific. Before starting his writing career, he led an Information Design practice at a large consumer electronics retailer in the US. His hobbies include deep sea exploration, complaining about the weather, and engineering a vast multiverse conspiracy.